Now you need to finalize your travel arrangements to be sure everything is in order.

This presents your first real test as trip partners — so be sure you are on the same page with these items:

Are your accommodations confirmed? You or your travel partner should call ahead confirm your accommodations — even if they have been sent to you by email. Is the room you want still available? Can you check in early or late? If you’ll be staying with family or friends, check in with them about a week to confirm the arrangements — and to allow you enough time to make alternate plans if there are any changes.

How are you getting there?If you are traveling by air or ground transportation, where and what time will you meet? Will you each be responsible for your own tickets, or purchase them together? How will you proceed if one of you is unavoidably late? If you are driving, will it be in your car, your travel partner’s or a rental? Who’s driving, who’s navigating, or will you take turns? You want to iron out all the details well ahead of time so there is no confusion on the day of departure.

Food, maps and other trip essentials. For a car trip, you may want to pack some food — so coordinate menu preferences ahead of time. Most folks have car or cellphone GPS these days, but I am still a believer in bringing along hard-copy maps for the primary driving routes. Also nice to have on hand: a windshield sunscreen, to cool the car when parked, and a snow/ice scraper (for those surprise late spring/early fall freezes). Work out who’s bringing what to be sure nothing is forgotten — including passports and driver licenses.

Any last check-ins? Do you want to call/email staff at any repositories to confirm your arrival times? Double check hours of operation for cemeteries, government offices or libraries? Check the advance weather forecast to pack appropriately? You and your travel partner can divide up these tasks — and brainstorm any other last-minute details.

What’s on your travel checklist? Share your own tips in the comments section.